It has been announced that the universal broadband plan in Northern Ireland is to be rolled out over the next eighteen months and should be up and running by the middle of 2011.

Residents and businesses in Northern Ireland have recently been told that the universal broadband plan is set to be rolled out over the next eighteen months, which means that if everything runs smoothly and all goes to plan it should be in place by the middle of 2011. The announcement was made by the Northern Ireland Assembly Government.

The Northern Ireland Assembly Government has promised businesses and residents in Northern Ireland that by the middle of 2011 there will be universal broadband in place with minimum speeds of between 2Mbps and 10Mbps. Rural areas will be able to get minimum speeds of 2Mbps as part of the scheme, and in urban parts of Northern Ireland this will be 10Mbps.

For the many people in rural areas that have been unable to get broadband because of their location the promise has come as welcome news, and many will not be keeping their fingers crossed that the promise will be fulfilled. BT will be providing the universal broadband service having promised investment of thirty million pounds.

The Minister for Enterprise, Trade, and Investment, Arlene Foster, stated: “Broadband is an enabler – use of these new services will enable our businesses to increase their productivity, improving the competitiveness of the economy as a whole. At a time of economic slowdown, this multi-million pound injection in our infrastructure has the potential to indirectly create up to 1,000 additional jobs per annum.”

Source – Think Broadband